Wow.. it’s a slow day for PR today.. usually I wake up with at least 200 press releases in my inbox, but today not even half of that, and nothing really interesting. I did toss a few in the PR section of our forums though, you can check them out here, I post things that are interesting but not exactly front page worthy in there… So I figured why not do another new posting today, there’s no short supply of news from other sites across the world…

So don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our Feed while you’re at it…

Storage Related:

ASUS External Slim Blu-ray Disc Combo SBC-06D1S-U Review "As reported in our News section on 15th February – ASUS have launched two new external optical drives. ASUS have very kindly provided us with the SBC-06D1S-U to review today. ASUS are a hugely successful company known for their innovative product design and industry leading quality in the world of 3C (Computers, Communications and Consumer Electronics). Let’s take a look at one of their latest external optical drives and see if it continues their excellent pedigree." LINK: http://www.vortez.co.uk/review.php?id=122

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Kingston HyperX PC3-17066 (2133MHz) 4GB KitQUOTE:"Kingston has a reputation for creating some extremely high quality memory. What this means is that we tend not to see the company jump on the speed train as quick as some other makers do. They want to know when they release a module that it’s going to run 100% across many platforms. Due to the nature of this, what tends to happen is we see only major step-ups in speed. To give you a better idea from Kingston, we see at the top of the table the 2133MHz DDR kit we have with us today. Moving downwards and we’ve got 2000MHz which was a major release, while below that there are 1800MHz DDR, 1600MHz DDR and 1333MHz DDR modules."For more information, please visit – http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3167/kingston_hyperx_pc3_17066_2133mhz_4gb_kit/index.html

Quote: "The Corsair Nova 64GB and Reactor 60GB SSD arrived Technic3D. Available in 60GB, 64GB, 120GB and 128GB configurations. Results in extreme performance with up to 250MB/s sequential read and 130MB/s sequential write speeds? We will check this against the SSDs from OCZ and G.Skill."

"The Corsair Padlock 2 USB Flash drive would make an excellent off-site backup drive for your critical data as it offers both the security and portability to make this task a breeze. Overall, the only nitpick I had was the lack of place to secure the cap when the drive is in use. If that’s the only complaint I can come up with, Corsair must be doing something right. I found the Padlock 2 to be simple to use, aesthetically pleasing and darn good at its core function of protecting data. It doesn’t hurt that the price tag is less than many other secure drives at only $55…"

Quote: We are taking a look at an external HDD from Verbatim today, they sent us a sample of their latest 500GB HDD that is equipped with a display on the front of the eclosure to show how much space is left on the HDD. Lets see how it will perform vs other removable drives.

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ADAT

A S596 128GB SSD Video Review & Benchmarks

ADATA is a company that is new to us, but is a well established company in the east, making their way west. Watch in this video review as I actually beat this drive on a table a few times and then run it through a gauntlet of tests. This new S596 SSD is a very fast drive and can hold its own agains’t the competition. Check out the full review and I think you will like what you see, its pretty funny to watch just for the verbage and drive beating.

Audio/Video Related:

We’re just doing a bit of testing here in the lab today, and wanted give you all a glimpse of what was on the test bench. We have already given you glimpses of AMD’s ATI Eyefinity technology running on more than three screens on a few occasions in the past, but we haven’t had the ability to do any hands-on with the technology up to this point because the Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition and the requisite software wasn’t quite ready yet. Well, it’s here now. And we’ll be able to give you the full scoop very soon. For now, here’s a fun preview…

Quote: Most people should have heard about the ease of use that the Netflix streaming service provides. One of the major components of this ease of use would be the set top boxes that provide the service on TVs. Roku was the original and is still the best way to get streaming Netflix to your TV, right now.

Quote: "People are spending an ever-increasing amount of time in front of computer screens as our lives become more intertwined with technology. This increase correlates to an increase in health hazards from repetitive motion injuries, neck and back problems, and eye strain. Gunnar has recognized this and has put together a diverse product line dedicated to mitigating the strain we are putting on our eyes with some of their special lens and optic technologies. They sent us over a sample pair of their Wi-FIVE digital performance eyewear from their Catalyst collection to see how effective we felt they were. For $99, if they work as advertised, they should be well worth the investment…"

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iXBT Labs Review: i3DSpeed, February 2010 Excerpt: "The i3DSpeed informs you about performance of popular graphics cards and the best price/performance deals in the market. In this issue we updated the test results to reflect the performance of the latest drivers (as of February 2010)." Article: http://ixbtlabs.com/articles3/i3dspeed/0210/i0210-video-p1.html

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Mobile Related:

As you can guess these guys fib quite a bit on their numbers (the question being by how much, which is what I’ve been after) and I’ve been holding off on telling you the specifics until I had tested another handful of batteries.

Palm Pixi Plus Review "What the Honda Civic is to the Accord, the Pixi Plus is to the Pre Plus. While not entirely hobbled, the Pixi flutters in the shadow of the Pre with a smaller screen, a slower processor, and a lower-resolution camera, but balances the handicaps with a lightweight, easy-to-use form factor that finds fans in nearly everyone who handles it. It will have to be the body that sells it. Even with Wi-Fi added for the Plus variant, we find it hard to recommend the stripped down Pixi when the much more capable Pre stands only $70 away." Link to the review:http://www.digitaltrends.com/product-reviews/cell-phone-reviews/cell-phone-smart-phone-reviews/palm-pixi-plus-review/

The horizontal pouch case has a simple design, with cushioned leather on the front and back that is held together with elastic sides. The case has white stitching, which adds a nice accent. The only other adornment is the PDAir logo stamped on the front of the case.

"There are a multitude of laptop coolers available, but today we take a look today at a unique cooling product from Evercool – the FIT Notebook Cooler. It is compatible with just about any notebook or netbook – from 9” to 18” sizes. It’s small enough to carry with you in your laptop bag, and it is also lightweight at only 60g total weight. But how well does it actually cool your laptop? Read on for our testing results."

ASUS G51J 3D 15.6" Gaming Notebook @ Techgage Link:http://techgage.com/article/asus_g51j_3d_156_gaming_notebook/Quote: The term "3D" has been used quite a bit over the past couple of months, and as it stands today, there’s a fair bit of content available to those with capable hardware. But on the mobile side of things, support is just beginning to creep in. The first available option was from ASUS, with its G51J 3D, and we’re taking a look at it here.

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Assorted Stuffs:

The WikiReader @ TechwareLabs

Quote: Love dedicated devices filling your pockets? Here’s a great one for you: The WikiReader. This little guy contains all of Wikipedia for all of your argument winning needs. LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/wikireader/

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PC Power Supply Protections: They Won’t Always Protect You Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/167Here is a snippet: "PC power supplies usually come with some protections. The savvy user will always try to pick one that provides the most protections possible. But having protections available doesn’t mean that the power supply will in fact protect your equipment in case of malfunction. Let’s see why."

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Join us this week to hear our panel debate over the Apple iPad launch, discuss our latest system guide, and provide a sneak preview of the Radeon HD 5830, among other things. http://techreport.com/articles.x/18536

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Techgage’s 5th Birthday Contest – Win a Gaming PC! @ Techgage Link:http://techgage.com/article/techgages_5th_birthday_contest/Quote: Techgage has just turned five, so what better reason to celebrate? To help kill two birds with one stone, we’re looking to YOU for input on what we’re doing right, and what you want to see more of (or improve). As a thanks for taking our site survey, you’ll be entered to have a chance at winning our custom-built gaming PC, valued at $4,200!

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News: XPC maker Shuttle soldiers on, creates laptop ecosystem

Although its toaster-sized XPC barebones systems used to be a regular part of our review coverage, we haven’t heard the Shuttle name quite so much lately. Recently, we decided to check in with Shuttle and see what was new with this unlikely survivor of the consolidation trend in the motherboard business. Turns out Shuttle is still very much alive and kicking, and it’s working on new ways to promote its barebones systems, along with an unusual modular notebook initiative. http://techreport.com/articles.x/18469

Quote: "Most strategy gamers out there are aware of the skill level they possess. You know there are certain players worse than you, and you’re certainly well aware that there are those that destroy you with no problems at all. However beyond playing your game of choice over and over, how’s a fella’ or lady supposed to improve their gaming ability? One way is to watch replays of the pros hacking away at each other.

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2010 s Top Business Gadgets and Technology Trends "Good news for modern professionals the future of high-tech is here, and it s rife with opportunities to enhance communications, maximize productivity, and revolutionize the way the way that business is done on nearly every front. As previewed earlier this year at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a wired wonderland where the hottest gadgets and technology trends of coming months are revealed, the future truly is now. From WiFi-ready, touchscreen-equipped cars to app-enabled home theater components and Skype-compatible TVs that let you videoconference right from your living room screen, there s no end to the commercial possibilities in sight. Imagine selling software programs direct to shoppers right on their 3D HDTV, marketing copies of your latest book for download via digital eReader or filling customers orders right from a shiny new tablet PC." Link to the feature:http://www.digitaltrends.com/gadgets/top-2010-business-gadgets-and-technology-trends/

The Dutch media was kindly invited at the lovely city of Utrecht for a pre CeBIT presentation of Gigabyte and Intel Company. Rendez-vous took place at the castle of Oudaen. The major websites and magazines were present. Shrimps was represented by yours truly and [M] reviewer Danny Terwindt. Too bad we heard Intel canceled their presentation at last call, for till now unknown reasons. Without further ado let us quickly guide you through the presentation and show the new toys present. http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=992

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Four Tech Movies Every IT Pro Should See Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/166"It doesn’t matter if you are a newcomer to the IT industry or a veteran with over 30 years of expertise: there are some movies that I love and think that all people working on the computer industry should watch. They are entertaining and educative at the same time."

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Run XP Mode in VirtualBox Instead of Virtual PC

Windows 7 only: If you’ve been itching to use the new XP Mode feature in Windows 7, but you aren’t too keen on using Virtual PC or just prefer VirtualBox, here’s how to use XP Mode in VirtualBox.

Was “The Force” simply a figment of George Lucas’ imagination, or is it a real power that is all around us? My guess is that the real Force exists with Star Wars-themed merchandise, and it is constantly beckoning us to open up our wallets. The following 10 Star Wars products have definitely harnessed that power.

The Opera Web browser has taken a big step forward with the release of version 10.50, a significant update that brings some nice new features and a number of radical improvements under the hood. Opera Software contends that it has taken the lead in performance, leap-frogging its competitors. We conducted benchmarking and some hands-on tests to determine if the new Opera lives up to the hype.